I'm guessing that that must have really happened (or else the editors wouldn't have printed the piece)... but I found it hard to believe someone would ever give someone else a gift like that without some kind of notice ahead of time.

I'm thinking that it was really rude to give a surprise live gift that must be killed and eaten within hours of its unexpected arrival. But am I wrong? Could a surprise like that ever be polite?

Depends on the person giving them to me, really. If someone presented me with live lobsters I'd probably say thanks and start wondering what to do with them. DH would probably have to kill them, though.

I don't think it's rude, though. Unless I had previously express distaste in lobsters (which I haven't) or said I'm allergic to them (which I am not).

I've not sent lobsters, but other edible items I needed to provide a clear window when it could be delivered because it would not be left outside or in a hallway. Of course these lobsters were dead and would probably have stayed frozen a day or two if left unopened. We've had food deliveries that come in a styrofoam box (great for when you go grocery shopping in the summer) and dry ice.

I'm guessing that that must have really happened (or else the editors wouldn't have printed the piece)... but I found it hard to believe someone would ever give someone else a gift like that without some kind of notice ahead of time.

I'm thinking that it was really rude to give a surprise live gift that must be killed and eaten within hours of its unexpected arrival. But am I wrong? Could a surprise like that ever be polite?

While it is an interesting query, they were not actually given a gift of live lobsters. They only worried they had been given such a gift.

They were given a bulky and perishable gift however, and that itself can be an issue, but certainly much less of an ethical dilemma. To me, to be honest, the bigger problem with the gift was giving shellfish to a Jew.

I've not sent lobsters, but other edible items I needed to provide a clear window when it could be delivered because it would not be left outside or in a hallway. Of course these lobsters were dead and would probably have stayed frozen a day or two if left unopened. We've had food deliveries that come in a styrofoam box (great for when you go grocery shopping in the summer) and dry ice.

I have managed quite well with a thick comforter and putting the perishables close to the frozens. Ice cream might not survive quite as well, but I've left food in the car for more than an hour and it stays COLD. Thought I'd share in case someone doesn't have a the box.

I am rolling in laughter. Thanks for sharing. Rude? Er, nah, but definitely not much thought was put into the ability of the recipients to deal with it. Even if they were already dead and frozen, I really don't know if I could maneuver around the little guy - I only eat the food "they make" at the grocery store, wrapped and ready to go.

I'm guessing that that must have really happened (or else the editors wouldn't have printed the piece)... but I found it hard to believe someone would ever give someone else a gift like that without some kind of notice ahead of time.

I'm thinking that it was really rude to give a surprise live gift that must be killed and eaten within hours of its unexpected arrival. But am I wrong? Could a surprise like that ever be polite?

While it is an interesting query, they were not actually given a gift of live lobsters. They only worried they had been given such a gift.

They were given a bulky and perishable gift however, and that itself can be an issue, but certainly much less of an ethical dilemma. To me, to be honest, the bigger problem with the gift was giving shellfish to a Jew.

WillyNilly,

OP here, hanging my head in embarrassment. (If I were a male version of Gilda Radner's Roseanne Roseannadanna, I suspect I'd say, "Never mind.")

Yes, I can read.

But sometimes I read too fast, and when I start skimming, I start missing important facts.

You're right. When I went back and read more carefully I realized that near the end of the article, the lobsters turned out to be frozen, not live. (So what were those noises the author wrote about hearing earlier in the article?)

Anyway, that fact changes the picture for me. A gift of frozen lobster (that doesn't have to be cooked at once) seems a lot nicer to me than the thought of an unexpected surprise of live lobsters.

And, actually, the more I think about it, I think unexpected live lobsters would be more "not-well-thought-out" than actually "rude".

www.lobstergram.com - I've both sent and received live lobsters. And yes, in both cases they were appreciated. It's a "know your audience" thing, though - my parents sent us some on our first anniversary, knowing that we love to cook and that (at the time) we didn't have the budget for something like that normally. And I sent them some on their 25th anniversary, but in that case my sister was visiting them and was able to arrange things so they didn't have other dinner plans (and so she could leave and go see a movie so they could have a romantic evening cooking).